Zucchini flour

You may have heard it called Amish flour or troops flour before. It’s a Staple in Amish and Mennonite household for generations. It was also embraced in the 1940’s during rationing. 

It's a low-carb, gluten-free flour. Or it's good for just stretching your flour, or for using up all those zucchinis that grow so quickly. You can substitute zuke flour for coconut flour 1:1.

There’s probably fancier ways of doing this out there, but here’s how I learned. It's pretty easy.

You let your zucchini grow, oversized zucchini will give a milder-flavored flour. Peel with a carrot peeler, into thin even strips. If you shred the zucchini (cheese shredder or food processor), it will dry faster, but take more space and be messier.

You can use the skins and seeds if you’re using small-to-medium size fruit; if you’re using a great big one, leave skins and seeds out.

Dehydrate the zucchini. It must be absolutely dry, paper dry, crispy dry. It’s essential. If in doubt always dry it more; any moisture will ruin it during storage

Then run the dried strips through a food processor until you have a powdered consistency. It will be a marbled green looking power if you kept the skin. The texture should be similar to a good quality whole wheat flour. If it’s not fine enough for you, sift the flour. You can run the siftings through a coffee grinder and sift again.

That is zucchini flour. Three large zucchini is about four or five cups finished.

It can be used to replace up to ⅓ of the flour in most recipes without any change to the finished products. It acts as a thickening agent for gravies, great for breading fish. I’m told it makes good tortillas or naan bread. It also makes great dumplings and brownies.

Store in air tight jar or vacuum pack it; adding a desiccant (silica) packet to keep humidity down. Do not store the flour in the refrigerator (too much moisture) and use within 6 months for best quality. Alternatively, store the sliced/shredded zucchini in the freezer and process it when you’re getting ready to bake.

So this is free, sustainable, easily produced on site and it has a mild taste. Most people wouldn’t pick up on it. It cuts our flour usage by a third. You can make flour with sweet or regular potato, other squashes, and with pumpkin. I just find myself zucchini is the least flavored. Plus we get overloaded by the darn things. 

TJ's Succotash

 INGREDIENTS: 

-1red bell pepper

-1 green bell pepper

-1orange bell pepper

-1 red onion

-1 Zucchini, small

-1 yellow squash (or two Zucchini if you can't find the squash)

-1 bunch of cilantro

-corn (frozen or fresh)

-Seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne, paprika

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Basically try to have equal amounts of everything, though if the onions tip the balance, it isn't a bad thing.

Dice everything really finely.

Sauté red onions till translucent, add Zucchini, sauté for a couple minutes, add peppers and corn. 

Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne, and paprika. Add more heat as you like. Add cilantro at the end.

(Thoughts: I think a little white pepper would go nicely, and fresh jalapeños or serranoes will also go well.) [I may try it with de-seeded scotch bonnets.]

Cook till a happy texture. Avoid mush.

Pepperoni Stuffed Zucchini Pizza

Ingredients: 

Per person

Left: four cheese. Right: Parmesan

2 medium zucchini

⅓ cup diced onions

1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced

12+ slices of pepperoni, diced

½ cup shredded four-cheese blend or Parmesan cheese.

Salt & Pepper

Instructions:

• Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. With a metal spoon, scoop out most of the insides, chop fine, season with salt & pepper, and set it aside.

• Transfer the zucchini shells to a baking sheet, season with salt & pepper. Bake for 10 minutes at 375°.

• Over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic. As they begin to soften, add zucchini. As it softens, add pepperoni.

• Remove from heat. Fill zucchini shells with a layer of cheese, spoon this mixture into zucchini shells. Top with cheese.

• Bake (375°) for 12 or 13 minutes, until cheese is browned slightly on top. Cool before eating.

Nutrition: 9 grams carbohydrates, 2.6 grams fiber, 198 calories

Bacon Zucchini Chicken Rolls

Ingredients

2 or 3 strips bacon, mostly cooked, diced

¼ medium onion, chopped

2 tsp olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

¾ cups diced zucchini

¼ cup diced sweet red pepper

1-2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil

Salt & pepper

1 boneless chicken breast, thawed

Directions

Slice the chicken breast into ¼” thick pieces. Lightly salt & pepper both sides. Set aside to warm to room temperature, under plastic wrap.

In a medium cast iron skillet, fry bacon until it’s beginning to firm up. Remove and dice (or dice before frying).

Sauté onion in remaining bacon fat for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add zucchini and red pepper; saute for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Remove from the heat; stir in the bacon, cheese, basil, salt and pepper.

Roll vegetable mixture up in slices of chicken breast. Secure with toothpick

In the same skillet, brown the chicken rolls. Drizzle with seasoned olive oil.

Microwave or fry the remaining chicken slices. Top with remaining filling. 

Bake it all, uncovered, at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until a thermometer reads 170°.

Comments: I forgot the basil, and I was out of bell pepper, so I added roasted bell pepper powder and fresh mushrooms  Good. Consider fresh rosemary.